Rosemary-Lavender Shortbread

One day, on an impulse, I bought a small bag of culinary lavender.  Then I wondered what to do with it.  I had always associated lavender with soap and potpourri, and imagined lavender ice cream or lavender baked goods would taste soapy.  I'm glad to report this shortbread is not at all soapy.  I'd call it herbal and lightly floral, and I wasn't prepared for the glowing reaction it got.  See, I liked the cookies well enough, but I was dreaming of chocolate ice cream, or summery peach cobbler.  And I didn't want a load of buttery shortbread around the house, so I brought the cookies to work.  Their unusual flavor combination, cute teapot shapes, and pretty sprigs got plenty of attention, and lots of compliments.

Squares of shortbread dough flecked with rosemary and lavender. Press some rosemary sprigs into some
of the shortbread for a decorative touch. Then everything gets a dusting of sugar.

The shortbread is sandy and buttery, and accented with honey along with the lavender and rosemary.  Make sure you use dried culinary lavender; the leaves in the sachet that scents your drawer might have chemicals on them.  I adapted this recipe from Epicurious to include the lavender.  I also altered the method to make lots of cutout cookies that would hold their shape when handled, as opposed to two simple rounds scored into triangles.

These are perfect for a fancy tea, but since the temperature hit 90 yesterday I made a strawberry oolong iced tea steeped with lavender.  For a bit of color, splash in about a teaspoon of cranberry juice.  Pour over ice, cool down, and have a cookie.

Rosemary Cheese Crackers

I've often wondered why anyone would bother making crackers at home. I figured the homemade taste must be superior, but it didn't seem worth the fuss. I have happily discovered there is no fuss, and the crackers truly are superior. If you can make chocolate chip cookies, you can make these crackers. You don't even need a rolling pin!

These don't have the snap of Cheez-Its or Ritz -- rather, think savory shortbread. Softened butter and shredded cheese are beaten together with flour and a few other ingredients. You roughly roll the dough into a log and chill it until firm, then slice and bake. That's it! The crackers are flavored with rosemary, cheddar, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. They're not too hot, but I reduced the pepper and pepper flakes on my second try because I didn't want that much heat and mouth-tingle.

The chilled log of dough is sliced into crackers; for a fancier touch, use a fluted cutter;

use a fork to poke holes in the crackers before baking.

The crackers also remind me of some blue cheese crackers I had during afternoon tea at Upstairs on the Square.  And that makes me think of ways to play around with this recipe, including substituting blue cheese for the cheddar.  Swap in a different herb, or sesame or poppy seeds.  How will you play with it?

Multigrain Focaccia with Grapes and Rosemary

Have you ever had roasted grapes?  They're a revelation to me.  They give this bread wonderful jammy and fruity spots after they bake up and get soft.  And they're not like grape jelly, which I don't care for.  The next time you roast vegetables with olive oil, throw some grapes into the bunch.  This focaccia is great too, and although it's time-consuming it is easy.  Most of the time is inactive, so you can fold laundry or watch TV, but do plan ahead and start that pre-ferment about 12 hours before you plan the rest of the process.

In King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, the intro to the recipe says: "This version, which is more than half whole wheat flour, may not reach the same heights as the fluffiest focaccia, but its creamy, chewy texture and fragrant flavor make it one of our favorites."  I love it.  It's not a proper focaccia, but it's crusty outside and soft and chewy inside.  The whole wheat gives it hearty flavor, and I used white whole wheat flour, which is just as nutritious as regular whole wheat flour but has a softer texture.  It's a more virtuous focaccia, and I prefer this to traditional focaccia.

The focaccia right before going into the oven.  Top-right down: the pre-ferment is ready to use; the sticky dough; and the dough after a couple rises and folded into a packet.

The other reason it's more virtuous?  Very little oil.  Have you ever used the nutrition calculator at Panera and seen what a difference in fat it makes to swap in another bread for your sandwich?  Or maybe you've made focaccia before, and seen the dough sit in about two-thirds of a cup of oil and suck it up like a sponge?  Joe made Peter Reinhart's recipe years ago, but after seeing how much oil went into it we never made it again.  This recipe has no oil in the dough, and calls for oiling the sheet pan generously, whatever that means.  The first time I used about a quarter-cup, and it was unnecessary.  This dough doesn't really soak up the oil, so it just splatters in your oven.  The second time I used about a tablespoon and it worked out perfect, plus there were no oven splatters.  I've already made this twice, and it's going to make repeat appearances in my kitchen through the fall and winter.

On a side note, the Huffington Post featured my Pumpkin Fritters photo and recipe in a roundup of savory pumpkin recipes today.  To see it there or check out the other recipes, visit http://huff.to/NUilKQ.

Pumpkin Fritters with Rosemary and Cheese

There's not a rule against eating pumpkin any time of the year, but like a lot of people I gravitate toward it in the fall.  I bookmarked this recipe months ago and imagined what it would look and taste like.  Then I realized before cooking it that reality wasn't matching up with my imagination.  I had pictured these fritters as golden, crusty orbs, but it sounded like they were meant to be pancake-shaped.  Well, I just couldn't let go of the image in my head, so I changed up the recipe.  It makes more sense to follow a recipe that's tried and true, and for health reasons one that's pan-fried rather than deep-fried, but sense doesn't always get through to me.

I increased the amount of baking powder in the recipe to help the fritters puff up, and substituted rosemary for the parsley because I thought it sounded more flavorful.  The half-inch of oil in the recipe became a few inches in a saucepan for deep-frying.  I scooped tablespoons of dough into the oil, and watched them fry up golden.  Like doughnut holes, they will flip in the oil on their own when one side is done.  In the end, I had my golden fritters -- crispy outside, flecked with rosemary, cheesy inside and very moist because of the pumpkin.  Vision fulfilled.  Will I make them again?  Probably not, because I don't deep-fry much and I got them out of my system.  But maybe I'll give the original recipe a whirl next.

On a side note, my backyard tomato crop is still going!  These are Brandywines, an heirloom tomato.  We've made and eaten a lot of fresh salsa in the past two months.  I also used them in this recipe for Baked Orzo with Eggplant, making no changes except substituting ditalini for the orzo, and basil for the oregano because that's what I have in my garden.  That dish was so good, I was too busy eating it to snap a photo for you.  But take my word for it, especially you, Jacob.  The mire a poix gives it wonderful depth of flavor, the sauteed eggplant is awesome, and the dish is like a lighter baked ziti that doesn't weigh you down.

I also found these interesting berries at the farmers market.  They taste like the ordinary darker raspberries but with the tartness toned down.  I tried them in Raspberry Crumble Muffins from Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours, but was disappointed.  So let down that I didn't bother giving them their own post.  There wasn't enough crumble topping or raspberry flavor, and it tasted like a corn muffin with a strangely light interior structure.  Not awful, but not worth making again either.

Back to those pumpkin fritters . . .

Rosemary Flatbread

I was going to make buttermilk biscuits for Easter, but these were so much lighter and easier. You just combine the ingredients, let it rise for a bit, and bake off. Even the rolling out is simple, since the soft dough doesn't require the muscle that rolling out pastry does. They come out chewy, and crisp at the edges. I can see myself making these a lot, in endless variations.

Rosemary Flatbread, adapted from Martha Stewart Living

2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)

¾ cup warm water (110 degrees)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Coarse sea salt

Cracked black pepper

1 tbs plus 1½ tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing

1 tbs chopped rosemary or other herb, plus more for decorating on top

Place a baking stone in a cold oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Combine yeast and water, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir well.

Pulse flour and 1 tsp salt in a food processor to combine. Add yeast mixture, oil, and rosemary. Process just until a dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Shape into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, and divide into 4 pieces. Gently roll each piece into a 6-inch disc. Don't roll them too thin, or they'll have the dryness and consistency of a cracker instead of the softness and texture of a bread. Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and decoratively top with pieces of rosemary.

Bake them one at a time on the baking stone without turning, for about 7 minutes each. A wooden pizza peel can make placement easy, and tongs make removal simple. If you're using a baking sheet because you don't have a baking stone, bake them for 10 to 12 minutes each.